March 16, 2008

It’s raining here in Amsterdam, the popcorn is popped and the fire is burning, and it’s time for a game. I suggest we play Literary Divination, loosely based on a New York Timesarticle back in December, describing each Presidential candidate of the time in terms of two science fiction books (Thanks for the reference, Paul A).

My challenge to you, dear friends: deal out a Tarot reading, using books (or films, or any other work) as cards. You can use the Celtic Cross, or any other format, doing a full layout or part of one. Your querent may be real or imaginary, your books from any genre or style. You can examine any aspect of your querent. There are no rules, except one.

Don’t be boring.

Here are two examples to get you started.

the young Luke Skywalker

This covers him, defining the problem space: The Once and Future King, by TH White (an examination of the role of the knight in a changing world)

This crosses him, showing the nature of his challenge: The Odyssey, by Homer (a journey from destruction, through peril, to rejoin his family)

This crowns him, representing the best possible outcome: The Aeneid, by Virgil (the journey ends with the establishment of a new order from the ruins of the old, the melding of a new family with the survivors of his past)

This is beneath him, the foundation of the matter: Oliver Twist, by Charles Dickens (the struggles of an orphan to find his identity)

This is behind him, where he has been: Little House on the Prairie, by Laura Ingalls Wilder (a rural, isolated upbringing)

This is before him, where he is going: Oedipus Rex, by Sophocles (the troubled encounters with his father, and a misplaced love)

The Significator, defining the Querent: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, by JK Rowling (a man of power at the beginning of his training)

His environment: Stagecoach, starring John Wayne (the wild and lawless frontier)

His fears: Paradise Lost, by John Milton (the fall from grace, the temptations of evil)

Culmination, how it all comes out: Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain (a long journey, with accompanying rogues and adventures, leading nowhere much except to adulthood)

Hillary Clinton, as seen from the perspective of her gender

This covers her: The Left Hand of Darkness, by Ursula K Le Guin (issues of gender in fraught political times)

This is devilishly hard to get right, due to the sheer number of
possible combinations. But here's Gaius Baltar in the new BSG, circa
the miniseries, with mostly SF/F, since that's what on my bookshelf:

This covers him, defining the problem space: Three Hearts and Three Lions,
by Poul Anderson (an ordinary man called to be a knight, in a world
with allies and enemies he doesn't understand, and a woman he's unsure
if he can love)

This crosses him, showing the nature of his challenge: Son of a Witch, by Gregory Maguire (a journey of self-discovery, learning what his powers are and what he can and, more importantly, can't do)

This crowns him, representing the best possible outcome: Wintersmith, by Terry Pratchett (his past foolishness is transcended and he saves his people from the trouble he brought upon them)

This is beneath him, the foundation of the matter: Macbeth (urged into rash action by the woman in his life)

This is behind him, where he has been: The Princes of the Air, by John M. Ford (bootstrapping himself up to a high level of credibility and respect, but it may be just a house of cards)

This is before him, where he is going: The Lies of Locke Lamora,
by Scott Lynch (deception, collaboration and a whole lot of luck will
help him survive, at the cost of nearly everything he's accomplished)

The Significator, defining the Querent: A Wizard of Earthsea,
by Ursula K Le Guin (a young man proud of his talents, about to be
forcefully humbled and sent on a long journey of redemption)

His environment: Amadeus (a famous favorite son in the eyes of the world)

His fears: Tau Zero, by Poul Anderson (due to his initial
errors, he'll never be able to stop piling falsehood upon falsehood,
because if he stops just for a moment, he'll be torn to shreds by
people sensing a weakness)

Culmination, how it all comes out: (well, we don't know that yet, do we, but here's my guess, based on season 3) Space Cadet,
by Robert Heinlein (He gets no special commendation and is cut down to
size, but he's strangely happy with the results, because when it came
down to it, he did his duty)

Thanks, Abi. I was really worried some of it was boring, which is an
easy way to get it wrong. Plus, my bookshelf is a bit limited. Anyhow,
the rest of you really need to step up here. I want to see some more.

Number Ten Ox, from Bridge of Birds by Barry Hughart.

This covers him: The King of Elfland’s Daughter, by Lord Dunsany (the unpredictability that supernatural forces inevitably bring to ordinary places and people)

1. This covers him, defining the problem space: Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes, Part Two: Perestroika, by Tony Kushner. A man is called to be a prophet, but doesn't want to do it.

2. This crosses him, showing the nature of his challenge: Pacific Overtures, by Stephen Sondheim. A world-changing message must be delivered to an audience that doesn't want to hear it.

3. This crowns him, representing the best possible outcome: Looking Backward,
by Edward Bellamy. A society that had been in imminent danger of
destruction recognized its problems and bad habits in time to reform
itself and live happily ever after.

4. This is beneath him, the foundation of the matter: Creatures of Light and Darkness,
by Roger Zelazny. If the gods want to find you, they will. If they want
you to do something you don't want to do, "no" is an insufficient
answer.

5. This is behind him, where he has been: Harvey, by Mary Chase. A man's life is made more complex by communications received from an invisible being.

6. This is before him, where he is going: The Call of Cthulhu, by H. P. Lovecraft. An ocean voyage, culminating in terrifying encounter with oversized seafood.

1. This covers him, defining the problem space: The Human Stain, by Philip Roth. That's a hell of a secret he's trying to keep.

2. This crosses him, showing the nature of his challenge: Remake, by Connie Willis. Gotta dance!

3. This crowns him, representing the best possible outcome: The Faerie Queene, by Edmund Spenser. The personification of glory.

4. This is beneath him, the foundation of the matter: Edward II, by Christopher Marlowe. Some secrets equate to a red hot poker up the fundament.

5. This is behind him, where he has been: Wayne's World.
Pete: Hey, isn't "Milwaukee" an Indian name? / Alice Cooper: Yes, Pete,
it is. In fact , it's pronounced "mill-e-wah-que" which is Algonquin
for "the good land." / Wayne Campbell: I was not aware of that.

6. This is before him, where he is going: The Waste Land, by T S Eliot. Unreal city.

7. The Significator, defining the Querent: Orlando, by Virginia Woolf. The eternal flaneur.

1. This covers him, defining the problem space: The Wizard Of Oz. Eldritch forces contend for control of the world.

2. This crosses him, showing the nature of his challenge: The Wizard Of Oz. The querent is plucked from his home and voluntold to play a pivotal role in beating back the advances of evil.

3. This crowns him, representing the best possible outcome: The Wizard Of Oz. The survivors get to go home.

4. This is beneath him, the foundation of the matter: The Wizard Of Oz. An orphan reaches moral maturity by learning to assess the virtues and vices of those around him, and then himself.

5. This is behind him, where he has been: The Wizard Of Oz. An isolated rural upbringing with Auntie Em and Uncle Henry.

6. This is before him, where he is going: The Wizard Of Oz.
He seeks the aid of a reputed good power (the rebel alliance), which
can’t actually do much for him except encourage him to rely on the
virtue that is already within him.

7. The Significator, defining the Querent: The Wizard Of Oz. If you can’t see Luke = Dorothy, you need to retune your gaydar.

8. His environment: The Wizard Of Oz. On the road with the
Scarecrow (Chewbacca), the Cowardly Lion (Han Solo), the Tin Man (the
chilly Princess Leia), and Toto (R2D2 and C3PO). Somehow, Toto, I’ve a
feeling that traveling through hyperspace ain’t like dusting crops in
Kansas.

9. His fears: The Wizard Of Oz. This film was very early in Judy Garland’s career and she never made a more popular one. Will it be the same for Mark Hamill?

10. Culmination, how it all comes out: The Wizard Of Oz. A
good witch holds secrets about his destiny, which could have been
revealed much earlier but then the movie would have only been twenty
minutes long.

Zounds! I'd really like to come up with some way to do a random
reading in this system. It seems that some truly revealing revelations
could come from taking a full inventory of someone's books, and then
laying them out.

Getting my tv-series fangirl geek on for a bit, here's a literary tarot reading for Supernatural's John Winchester:

This covers him, defining the problem space: Moby-Dick.
Obsession, vengeance, and the quest for meaning. "Though in many of its
aspects this visible world seems formed in love, the invisible spheres
were formed in fright."

This crosses him, showing the nature of his challenge: The Count of Monte Cristo. Life and love destroyed; a new life devoted to the destruction of all that destroyed the old.

This crowns him, representing the best possible outcome: Persuasion. After victory in war, homecoming and a reunion with the lost beloved.

This is beneath him, the foundation of the matter: King Lear. When you get right down to it, it's always all about family.

This is behind him, where he has been: Our Town. The extraordinary blessing of an ordinary life and love.

This is before him, where he is going: The Grapes of Wrath. Driven from home by forces too large to control; finding trouble, and a cause to fight for, on the American road.

The Significator, defining the Querent: Beowulf. "Saving people. Hunting things." Hard-headed, hard-handed, and hard to get along with; nevertheless, a hero.

His environment: Wonders of the Invisible World. The very landscape is full of signs and portents, and the devil walks abroad.

His fears: The Waste Land. Broken images, a world without
meaning, old traditions corrupted and old rituals gone hollow. "I will
show you fear in a handful of dust."

Culmination, how it all comes out: The Vision of Piers Plowman (B-text, passus xviii). The Harrowing of Hell.

8. His environment: The Wizard Of Oz. On the road with the
Scarecrow (Chewbacca), the Cowardly Lion (Han Solo), the Tin Man (the
chilly Princess Leia), and Toto (R2D2 and C3PO). Somehow, Toto, I’ve a
feeling that traveling through hyperspace ain’t like dusting crops in
Kansas.

I seem to recall that Spaceballs made a riff on this at
some point (I forget exactly the context), only it was Barf the Mog/the
Chewbacca stand-in who was the Lion and Lone Star/the Han Solo stand-in
who was the Scarecrow. And of course the C3PO send-up was the Tin Man,
and the Leia send-up was Dorothy.

I need to watch Spaceballs again. All I really remember clearly is the "assholes" scene, starting with "I said across
her nose, not up it!" and ending with "Keep Firing, Assholes!" And
that's because I'd never seen my Dad laugh so hard in my life.

The self-help Tarot for our Prez, who has neither accomplished
anything for himself, nor shown much talent for introspection, and
would prefer literature-lite. I clipped some subtitles for length.

This covers him, defining the problem space: The Logic of Failure

This crosses him: You Don't Have to Learn Everything the Hard Way

This crowns him, representing the best possible outcome: Enforcing International Law

This is beneath him, the foundation...which the querent has made his own: Laws of the Jungle

This is behind him: More Scams from the Great Beyond!: How to Make
Even More Money Off the Creationism, Evolution, Environmentalism,
Fringe Politics, Weird Science, the Occult, and Other Strange Beliefs

This is before him: What Color is Your Parachute?

The significator: The 12 Steps to Self-Parenting for Adult Children

His house: Self Help, Inc.: Makeover Culture in American Life

His hopes and fears: Burying the Secret

Culmination: The Last Self-help Book You'll Ever Need: Repress Your
Anger, Think Negatively, Be a Good Blamer, And Throttle Your Inner Child

Related to Sarah @ 23 (who posted while I typed this), apparently LibraryThing
has a "Random books from X's library" feature on members' pages. Take
the top book from the list for the first card, reload the page and take
the top book for the next card, etc.

It looks like it generally selects seven books, so one could do a reading using a seven-card spread without reloading the page.

2. This crosses him, showing the nature of his challenge: Brave New
World, by Aldous Huxley. Society's elites spend all their time in
sybaratic excess, ignoring everyone outside their sphere, and are not
capable of rebelling because the very idea has been trained out of them.

3. This crowns him, representing the best possible outcome: Democracy
in America, by Alexis de Tocqueville. An inspirational account of a
democratic republic at its best, with its independent and self-reliant
citizens working within a largely libertarian framework.

4. This is beneath him, the foundation of the matter: All The
President's Men. It isn't the government's shocking deeds that'll bring
them down--it's the attempt to keep said shocking things secret.

5. This is behind him, where he has been: Apocalypse Now. War shatters you, and it's up to you to put yourself back together.

6. This is before him, where he is going: Mad Max. He must pick his way
across a dead world that is populated only by pockets of utter savagery.

7. The Significator, defining the Querent: The first Pirates of the
Carribean movie. (I haven't seen the others.) Dashing captain fancies
himself a bold, lawless rogue, but ultimately he is an honorable man.

8. His environment: the Horatio Hornblower novels, especially the early ones. They can't all
be sparkling-new first-rate ships-of-the-line. Somewhere in the fleet
there has to be a smallish ship that's seen better days but is still
seaworthy, still being a home for her crew.

9. His fears: Star Trek TNG episode "The Best of Both Worlds, Part 1",
in which the Captain betrays his ship and his crew by joining the enemy.

10. Culmination, how it all comes out: Pleasantville. It isn't fast,
and it isn't easy, but, little by little, the people realize that a
world without sin can only be a colorless world; bit by bit, they begin
to question what they're told--and break free.

Very good things here. I'm glad I finally got my finger out and posted this.

To the reluctant and the intimidated, I would point out that the
Celtic Cross is not the only Tarot layout there is. A very simple one,
for instance, uses three cards for past, present and future. A slightly
more complex one adds in the Querent's hopes and fears.

Or you could do a partial layout, just those cards that strike you
most strongly. Maybe a few people could come up with a collaborative
layout.

For the record, I know virtually nothing about Tarot divination, which is why I linked to that explanation in the initial paragraph. It's where I got my explanations.

1. This covers him, defining the problem space: Little Men Heroine of previous stories has grown older and gathered a group of teenagers around her to teach and train.

2. This crosses him, showing the nature of his challenge: Auntie Mame Unusual, eccentric woman with a fascinating past ends up raising a young boy through no fault of her own.

3. This crowns him, representing the best possible outcome: Ender's Game The young boy develops his amazing intelligence and reflexes and saves the world from invading aliens.

4. This is beneath him, the foundation of the matter: Who Fears the Devil? Dangerous forces abound, often in human form with strange unearthly powers.

5. This is behind him, where he has been: The Sword in the Stone Trained by a man with a strange relationship with time via unusual adventures.

6. This is before him, where he is going: Mary Poppins Training students in arcane knowledge via unusual adventures.

7. The Significator, defining the Querent: Tom Swift and the Visitors from Planet X Skilled in technology beyond the current level available on Earth and friendly with some non-human species.

8. His environment: The Children of Green Knowe Older woman, strange house, surrounded by children.

9. His fears: Farthing The darkness is insidious and everything she loves may be lost to it.

10. Culmination, how it all comes out: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Saving the world from the forces of evil with minimal casualties.

Um, I'm on vacation and probably won't be on the net much tomorrow
(though I'll be on for a little while longer tonight), but I'm happy to
let people guess. Probably someone will get it right away anyway, given
this crowd.

1. This covers him, defining the problem space: Little Men Heroine of previous stories has grown older and gathered a group of teenagers around her to teach and train.

2. This crosses him, showing the nature of his challenge: Auntie Mame Unusual, eccentric woman with a fascinating past ends up raising a young boy through no fault of her own.

3. This crowns him, representing the best possible outcome: Ender's Game The young boy develops his amazing intelligence and reflexes and saves the world from invading aliens.

4. This is beneath him, the foundation of the matter: Who Fears the Devil? Dangerous forces abound, often in human form with strange unearthly powers.

5. This is behind him, where he has been: The Sword in the Stone Trained by a man with a strange relationship with time via unusual adventures.

6. This is before him, where he is going: Mary Poppins Training students in arcane knowledge via unusual adventures.

7. The Significator, defining the Querent: Tom Swift and the Visitors from Planet X Skilled in technology beyond the current level available on Earth and friendly with some non-human species.

8. His environment: The Children of Green Knowe Older woman, strange house, surrounded by children.

9. His fears: Farthing The darkness is insidious and everything she loves may be lost to it.

10. Culmination, how it all comes out: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Saving the world from the forces of evil with minimal casualties.

Um, I'm on vacation and probably won't be on the net much tomorrow
(though I'll be on for a little while longer tonight), but I'm happy to
let people guess. Probably someone will get it right away anyway, given
this crowd.

1. This covers him, defining the problem space: the Book of Kings,
specifically the story of David (a young soldier rises through the
ranks during a great war) 2. This crosses him, showing the nature
of his challenge: Hamlet (a young man wrestling with external enemies
and his own psychological weaknesses)

4. This is beneath him, the foundation of the matter: The Secret
History (a man from humble origins who never feels quite comfortable as
he rises in status) (that works for either the Donna Tartt or Procopius
versions)

5. This is behind him, where he has been: Sense and Sensibility
(shabby-genteel, with more principles than money and more learning than
power)

6. This is before him, where he is going: Eastern Approaches (diplomacy, war and adventure)

7. The Significator, defining the Querent: La Geste de Roland
(ultimately, he's prepared to sacrifice whatever it takes to do his
duty)

8. His environment: The Name of the Rose (a strange, isolated community, governed by its own laws and customs)

9. His fears: Richard III (a man twisted by self-hatred becomes a villain indeed and ends by ruining all around him)

10. Culmination, how it all comes out: The Odyssey (travels over, wounds healed, content at home)

Nicole @39. Looking forward to it. I was wanting to come here long
before the show started, and I just decided that this year I was going
to do it. I'm still a little surprised that all the pieces fell into
place, though.

Yatima @ 41: Ooh, no. But your signifier you came up with is good enough that I think you ought to do a full spread for him.

hedgehog @ 43: Ding ding ding! We have a winner! Pretty cool that
you got it in one--I thought that there were a couple cards/books could
give it away on their own, especially Orvat Cbbe, ol Wbua Fpnymv, and
Gur Gnyragrq Ze. Evcyrl, but I didn't think #1 would do it!

David Goldfarb @ 45: "My first guess was Edmond Dantes, the Count
of Monte Cristo...but given hedgehog's (I think correct) guess, I
suspect that I hit on your Significator."

I'm pretty sure that the author has said that Fgnef Zl Qrfgvangvba is an adaptation of gur Pbhag bs Zbagr Pevfgb, so you weren't far off. (I'm sure you can see why I couldn't put in the Significator!)

@ 48: "ajay@47: Bits of that put me strongly in mind of Zvyrf
Ibexbfvtna, but other bits (specifically "Beneath him" and "Behind
him") don't seem right for that guess."

On the other hand, they work nigh on perfectly for Neny Ibexbfvtna. Maybe not? It's been too long since I've read them.

ajay, that's got to be n cbyvgvpvna, because of the "strange,
isolated community, governed by its own laws and customs" bit. Onenpx
Bonzn, except for the married part of the best possible outcome? Not
sure about the culmination, either.

Do I ever wish I had time to do one of these myself! Maybe I will as
a reward tomorrow, after I finish and give this careers talk....(I'd
feel better about talking to high schoolers about my career if my
experiments were working.)

This one's probably immediately obvious, but I had fun with it anyway:

1. This covers him, defining the problem space: “The Archetypes and
The Collective Unconscious”, by Carl Jung (identifying too strongly
with an archetype can lead to difficulties)

2. This crosses him, showing the nature of his challenge: "A
Midsummer Night's Dream", by Shakespeare ("The course of true love
never did run smooth.")

3. This crowns him, representing the best possible outcome: "The Once and Future King", by T.H. White (a cycle fullfilled)

4. This is beneath him, the foundation of the matter: "Othello", by
Shakespeare again (misled hatred/revenge, honor as one's undoing)

5. This is behind him, where he has been: "The Divine Comedy", by Dante Alighieri (a tour of Hell)

6. This is before him, where he is going: "Learning to Fly", by Tom
Petty and the Heartbreakers ("Well some say life will beat you down/
Break your heart, steal your crown/ So I've started out for God knows
where/ I guess I'll know when I get there")

Okay, this one might be tricky. I have no idea how widely read this book is. Hint: not sf.

1. This covers him, defining the problem space: On Heroes, Hero-Worship and the Heroic in History, by Thomas Carlyle, reversed.* (the influence of insignificant men on history)

2. This crosses him, showing the nature of his challenge: The Three Musketeers, by Alexandre Dumas, reversed. (His task is to defend the revolution from the establishment, for the most selfish of motives)

3. This crowns him, representing the best possible outcome: Oedipus Rex, by Sophocles (The father--opponent and rival--bested.)

4. This is beneath him, the foundation of the matter: The Iliad, Books 16-24, by Homer (The death of a friend must be avenged at any cost.)

5. This is behind him, where he has been: Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens (An orphan is given the finest education and upbringing, courtesy of a mysterious benefactor.)

6. This is before him, where he is going: The Odyssey, by Homer (A wanderer must don many guises and practice many skills before his journeys are finished.)

7. The Significator, defining the Querent: (A total give-away. If you
have read the book, and you read this clue, you WILL know it.) Pbzzrqvn
qryyr negr (Zreryl bar va n pnfg bs nepurglcrf.)

8. His environment: The Stone Canal, by Ken MacLeod (A society in the midst of political and economic upheaval)

9. His fears: On Bullshit, by Harry G. Frankfurt (hypocrisy of the rankest sort)

10. Culmination: The Princess Bride (Leaving your enemies alive and fleeing the country never looked so good.)

*In Tarot, not only the card but the orientation matters—generally upside down cards find their meaning inverted.

abi, great! Once I knew that my first guess was not it, I was
considering Jrfyrl as Gur Qernq Cvengr Eboregf (because of all the
cvengr references, as you said) but it didn't quite fit. It never
occurred to me to consider a different character!

Suzanne @ 82: Though the guesses so far sound pretty good, let me add Rzzn Ohyy'f Jne bs gur Bnxf, or possibly Qvnan Jlaar Wbarf' Sver naq Urzybpx.
I suppose that last one is pretty much the same as the previous
guesses. Actually, it's surprising how many stories could work in that
reading.

Debra Doyle @ 84: Misnumbered, but right! Have a shiny new internets! (Did you need to decrypt the significator?)

Looking at how fast people are offering solutions to the ones that
leave me clueless, I am no judge of how difficult or easy this one is.
So I'm giving the titles in clear text and my interpretations in
rot-13, just in case the interpretations would make it too easy. But at
least I can name the significator without giving it all away.

For those thinking of constructing one of these puzzles for a
science fiction book or film or a work in some other genre that
Wikipediots obsess about, the Wikipedia articles often list influences
and allusions.

For example, I hadn't remembered that a couple of the books I used were specifically referenced in the text.

Suzanne @82: I thought Nycunorg bs Gubea (Cngevpvn ZpXvyyvc), but I haven't read it for a while for details; however I expect the winners will be the Gnz Yva variants (I love S&U myself -- I'm a QJW fan, hmm, interesting rot13 there).

Allan Beatty @ 94: I got it after decoding interpretations for 3 and 4, and I've never read the book! Good clues.

Since people are guessing so quickly, perhaps we should move to
either leaving off the interpretations, or using a layout with fewer
cards? I think a layout with fewer cards might be easier (to create)
and more fun (to guess at).